


A Father's Pride

by rab5298



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arthur & Gwen have a son!, Arthur Is Alive, BBC, Camelot, Comedy, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fantasy, Father-Son Relationship, Ficlet, Five years after the Battle of Camlann, Fix-It, Gen, King Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Magic, Married Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin is a Little Shit (Merlin), Merlin's an uncle/godfather!, Mother-Son Relationship, Original Character - Freeform, Other, Parent-Child Relationship, Playful banter between Arthur and Merlin, Queen Guinevere, Sassy Merlin (Merlin), Short & Sweet, Sorcerey, Swordfighting, Uncle-Nephew Relationship, Warlock - Freeform, arthurian legends, family life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:29:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22131820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rab5298/pseuds/rab5298
Summary: It has been five years since the victory of the Battle of Camlann and the fall of Morgana Pendragon.  Peace has returned to Camelot once again.  King Arthur and Gwen now have a son named Elyan, the next in line for the throne and they love him dearly.  Based off of the BBC Series, Merlin.
Relationships: Arthur & Elyan Pendragon, Gwen & Elyan Pendragon, Gwen & Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen & Merlin (Merlin), Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Elyan Pendragon
Comments: 8
Kudos: 36





	A Father's Pride

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note  
> This was another idea I had ruminating in my mind. The idea for the title came from a song I was listening on YouTube from "Once Upon A Time" called A Father's Pride. The idea for the story itself came from my mom after we were watching Merlin together and she said "How come Gwen and Arthur don't have any children? They've been married for a good few years now!" Needless to say, the idea stuck. I like to think in an alternate universe, Arthur survives the Battle of Camlann and his fatal wound where he returns to Camelot. In this alternate universe, Arthur and Gwen have a five-year-old son whom they named Elyan after Gwen's late brother. 
> 
> This again may be part of a larger story but for now I hope you enjoy this story! Happy reading as always!-Rachel
> 
> Listen to these as you read through (Best if you listen with headphones for the full experience. Make sure you copy and paste ahead of time too!)  
> Where the Fic Title was inspired from "A Father's Pride"- Mark Isham (Once Upon A Time Season 5 soundtrack)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfYeGaTpdL4&list=PL3yUULHJMmR_rDowf9YOwUkIu1244bOJD&index=4&t=0s 
> 
> 1.) Uther & Morgana Reunited-Rob Lane (Merlin) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx5EWmO2bFs&list=PL3yUULHJMmR_rDowf9YOwUkIu1244bOJD&index=212 
> 
> 2.) Fighting in the Market-Rob Lane (Merlin) *For when Elyan and Arthur are practicing their sword fighting* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJXKEgGlx-o&list=PL3yUULHJMmR_rDowf9YOwUkIu1244bOJD&index=196
> 
> 3.) Business As Usual-Rob Lane (Merlin) *The moment between Arthur and Merlin after Merlin used magic on the king* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaz5nkE8LgM&list=PL3yUULHJMmR_rDowf9YOwUkIu1244bOJD&index=236
> 
> 4.) Guinevere-Rob Lane (Merlin) *When Arthur talks to Elyan about how beautiful Gwen is* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W34-C_NF10M&list=PL3yUULHJMmR_rDowf9YOwUkIu1244bOJD&index=194

The sounds of wooden swords clacked and echoed across the palace training grounds and a small boy’s fitful giggles filled the atmosphere. The sky was cloudless and sunny. Birds chirped in the nearby trees. Arthur stepped towards the boy, stepping and crossing blades with him again. The boy was young, perhaps no older than five years of age. His bright blue eyes were filled with wisdom and an eagerness to knock his father off of his feet. He stepped forward, slashing with his wooden weapon, his father deflecting the sword in a circular motion only causing the boy to giggle more. 

“That’s it, Elyan. Just like I taught you, remember?” his father said beaming. “Come at me.” 

Merlin and Gwen emerged from the side door laughing. Merlin carried the spears back to the racks after a well-deserved polish. He brushed his hands against his pants to stop the throbbing. Even after all these years of serving Arthur, it never got any easier. “Excellent footwork, Elyan! That’s it, you’ve got it!” Merlin placed his hands on his hips and caught his breath. 

“Elyan’s gotten much better with a sword hasn’t he?” the young warlock said. 

“He certainly has,” Gwen said with a chuckle. The queen smoothed her royal purple gown. She folded her hands together like she was carrying a basket, gazing at the two boys she loved dearly. Her son, the spitting image of her husband made her heart swell with pride. “He’s becoming more like Arthur everyday.”

_ Great! That’s exactly what I need. Two Arthurs. And I thought one was bad enough.  _ Merlin cleared his throat and straightened his back, hearing a loud crack come from it. 

“Well, I hope they know that supper’s ready for them,” Merlin said. He shook his feet out to bring the feeling back into them. He tilted his head to the side hearing his neck crack. He let out a sigh of relief. Gwen raised an eyebrow at her friend trying to hide her laughter. They glanced back up at Arthur and Elyan continuing with their sword play. Merlin covered his mouth with his hand and looked at Arthur. He coughed as his crystal blue irises changed to gold for a brief moment. He watched Arthur fall backwards. His foot kicked up into the air, a cloud of dirt flying up as the king of Camelot landed on his back with a loud  _ thud.  _ Little Elyan let out a battle cry, imitating a dragon and jumped onto his father’s stomach. A loud  _ oof  _ was the king’s response. 

“I win, father!” the little boy said with a toothy grin. Arthur sat up and ruffled his son’s sandy blonde locks. He spat out hearty helpings of grass and dirt. 

“No, Elyan.” Arthur said. He shot a death glare at his manservant who was playing  _ too _ innocent. “It seems that your uncle  _ Merlin _ cheated and let you win!” Gwen closed her eyes and placed her hand against her mouth trying to keep her composure. Her shoulders shook from holding back her laughter, a low chuckle was caught in her chest. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, sire!” Merlin called brightly. Elyan laughed as he picked a few blades of grass from his father’s hair. “I know you want to kill me, but who’s going to make  _ you  _ dinner if I’m dead?! And get  _ you _ up out of bed and polish your armor every morning?” Arthur tried chucking a pile of dirt at Merlin. It fell apart into a dirt cloud as soon as he threw it. “Ah. Remember, good servants are hard to come by!” Arthur was about to protest but a sigh escaped his lips for he knew Merlin was right. He stood up and brushed the dirt off of his armor. He scooped the young prince into his arms and kissed his cheek. 

“You showed a fine display of swordsmanship today, Ely. I’m proud of you.” 

“You’re a good teacher, father,” the little prince said. He let out a yawn and rested his head against Arthur’s chest. “I want to be just like you when I grow up.”

A smile tugged at the king’s lips. His other hand smoothed the boy’s blonde locks that stuck up in funny angles. “You’re going to be a wonderful king of Camelot one day.” He joined his wife and servant on the other side of the training grounds giving his son another kiss on his cheek before setting him down next to Gwen. “I hope that when you’re older--” he turned to his beloved queen, gazing into her lovely dark brown eyes that he had come to know and love after all these years. That gentle, reassuring smile that made his heart skip a beat even to this day made it felt like he was walking on air. He took hold of her hand. “--you will find a woman who is beautiful, wise and kind-hearted like your mother.” Arthur brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. He placed his other hand on top of hers, feeling that goofy smile appear over his face again, just like the first time he started courting her. 

“Arthur,” Gwen said, lovingly. She smiled at the ground. A small chuckle left her lips. “Still knowing exactly what to say at the right time.” 

Arthur kissed his wife gently, hesitant to pull away from her. He let his forehead rest against hers for a moment until a low rumble caught both of their attentions.

“Mummy. I’m hungry,”Elyan said. He tugged on the skirt of his mother’s gown, his other hand rested against his stomach as the gurgling continued. 

“I think we should all get something to eat for supper,” Gwen said. She knelt down to her son’s level, brushing the dirt off of his cheeks. “First thing’s first, go with Uncle Merlin to get yourself cleaned up then we can eat. Alright?”

The little prince smiled broadly at his mother. “Okay!” He wrapped his fingers around Merlin’s, tugging him towards the castle. “C’mon, Uncle Merlin!”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, kudos and comments are welcomed and highly encouraged! I might add on more to this but I wanted to give you guys a little taste of what I was imagining. Thank you all for your kind feedback on my previous Merlin fic, The Warlock's Keeper too! Hope you enjoyed this story too. :)


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